http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...e-watch-giraffe-before-has-its-baby/98635994/
Q. So what labor signs am I looking for here, exactly? I’ve been watching this giraffe stream for hours, at great cost to personal relationships and workplace productivity.
First, it takes a trained eye: Giraffes keep their pregnancies low profile, instinctively hiding signs of labor from predators who might harm their newborns. Thankfully, experts know what to look for.
Here are the biggest indicators that the good stuff is about to begin:
Water breaking: Look for discharge, which can be “anywhere from a slow trickle to a flow of mucus,” NBC 12 News reported.
Contractions: Stomach movement should come from the calf jostling inside, and the mother will straighten her neck and show movement in her hips, according to the station.
Visible hooves: This is the big sign in giraffe labor, as Kunter of the Denver Zoo told CBS 4. The calf should come out with its front feet and nose first. If it comes out backwards (back feet first), that’s a bad sign, she said.
Q. How long will the labor last?
Not long: Once the hooves show, Kunter said the baby should fully emerge within two hours. It could take as little as 30 minutes, according to Animal Adventure Park, the Harpursville, N.Y. zoo overseeing the birth.
